Dang! I wish Morris were selling the AGN!!!

[catsmeow]

Bummer! We can count on more crap to come for many years.

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For Immediate Release
October 23, 2007


Morris Publishing Group To Sell Several Newspapers And Other Related Publications

AUGUSTA, Ga.- Morris Publishing Group announced today that it has signed a definitive asset purchase agreement to sell fourteen daily newspapers, three nondaily newspapers, a commercial printing operation and other related publications to GateHouse Media, Inc. ("GateHouse") for a purchase price of $115 million, subject to a working capital adjustment. Morris Publishing Group will utilize all of the net cash proceeds from the sale to pay down the debt outstanding under its bank credit agreement. The transaction is expected to close before the end of November and is subject to regulatory and Morris Publishing's lender approval and customary closing conditions.
The daily newspapers to be sold include the Dodge City (Kan.) Daily Globe, The Newton (Kan.) Kansan, The (Pittsburg, Kan.) Morning Sun, the Hillsdale (Mich.) Daily News, The Holland (Mich.) Sentinel, the Hannibal (Mo.) Courier-Post, The (Independence, Mo.) Examiner, The Grand Island (Neb.) Independent, the York (Neb.) News-Times, The Daily Ardmoreite (Okla.), The Shawnee (Okla.) News-Star, the Yankton (S.D.) Daily Press & Dakotan, The Oak Ridger (Tenn.), and the News Chief (Winter Haven, Fla.). The non daily newspapers include La Estrella (Dodge City, Kan.), The Girard (Kan.) City Press and the Vermillion (S.D.) Plain Talk. The commercial printing operation is Flashes Publishing (Mich.), which also publishes The Holland Sentinel and the Flashes Shopping Guides (Mich.), related free nondaily community publications included in the sale.

Commenting on the sale, William S. Morris IV, Morris Publishing Group's chief executive officer and president, said, "While it is difficult to say goodbye, this sale is in line with our strategic plan to focus on our larger markets and will enable us to pay down our existing bank debt. We greatly appreciate the work by the employees of these great newspapers during the time they've been a part of Morris."

Morris Publishing Group, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Morris Communications Company, LLC, a privately held media company based in Augusta, Ga. Morris Publishing owns and operates 27 daily newspapers as well as nondaily newspapers, city magazines and free community publications in the Southeast, Midwest, Southwest and Alaska. For more information, visit our Web site, morris.com.

For further information, please contact:
Craig S. Mitchell
Senior Vice President of Finance
Morris Communications Company, LLC
706-823-3236

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[west-texan]

I notice that's all smaller market stuff...than Amarillo and Lubbock.

Dodge City and Newton, Kansas...are really small market papers.

Don't know about the editorial content...but from their website...the Lubbock Avalanche Journal seems to be better run...than the Globe News.

[catsmeow]

The AJ's publisher used to be head of advertising in Amarillo, pre-Les, I believe. Or he was there a short time after Les got here. His name is Steve Beasley. He's a nice guy.

[phantom]

One nice thing about the AJ is you don't have to have a password to access it online anymore. I have no idea what my password is for the AGN so never read it.

[phantom]

Oh, the AJ still has an online forum...even if it is usually boring.

[catsmeow]

phantom said:

One nice thing about the AJ is you don't have to have a password to access it online anymore. I have no idea what my password is for the AGN so never read it.

Fortunately, they recently got rid of that feature.

[catsmeow]

phantom said:

Oh, the AJ still has an online forum...even if it is usually boring.

And that just goes to show the AGN peeps are being Wussies about it!!!